There have been several altercations and heated moments in the 2021-22 NBA season, most of which are as a result of the competitive nature of the game. LeBron James was caught having words with Russell Westbrook after a failed defensive rotation, with head coach Frank Vogel calling a timeout to calm things down.
These things happen in the heat of the moment, and most times it is out of frustration. A similar situation happened with the Boston Celtics last night as they hosted the Milwaukee Bucks at TD Garden.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, the Celtics were looking to build on their 11-point lead, but a missed fastbreak opportunity got Dennis Schroder upset. Jayson Tatum was bringing the ball up the court with Schroder running the lane, but he lost the handle and almost caused a turnover. Schroder could not hide his frustration as he felt the team lost an opportunity for an easy two points.
A few possessions later, head coach Ime Udoka called timeout, allowing both players to talk things over. They got in a heated conversation as they walked off the court, and it lasted for a while in the huddle before they eventually made up.
Speaking on the incident post-game, Tatum revealed that it was nothing personal and just the competitive nature of the sport (4:00).
“Anybody that’s played in the NBA or a professional sport, you know it’s a high-intensity game, and guys care. It’s nothing personal. It’s nothing more than that. We’re just trying to figure things out. When there are 19,000 people in the arena, it’s hard to have an inside voice. Just two passionate guys who care about winning, nothing more than that, we’re fine, and we move on.”
Luckily, the Celtics successfully closed out the game, snapping their three-game skid. Tatum finished with a game-high 42 points, adding 5 rebounds, four assists, and 3 steals. Schroder, who played 25 minutes off the bench, registered 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists.
